Clarence L.
"Kelly" Johnson came to Lockheed in 1932 hunting a job. He was turned
down...insufficient experience. Johnson went back to school and obtained a
Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He came to Lockheed again in 1933
and was hired as a tool designer. His salary was $83.00 per month and became the
sixth Engineer working for the fledgling Lockheed Company. Then, as World War II
approached, he helped the Company design the P-38, America's first 400 mph
airplane. After assignments as flight test engineer, stress analyst,
aerodynamicist, weight engineer, he became chief research engineer in 1938. In
1952, Johnson was named chief engineer of Lockheed's Burbank, California plant
which later became the Lockheed-California Company. When the office of corporate
vice president-research and development was established in 1956, he was chosen
for the post. He became vice President-Advanced Development Projects (ADP)
(Skunk Works) in 1958, a member of the board of directors in 1964 and a senior
vice president of the corporation in 1969. He officially retired from Lockheed
in 1975 but continued as a consultant to the Skunk Works and the Lockheed
projects. Kelly left the Board of Directors in 1980. In June of 1983, the name
of the 500 acre Lockheed Rye Canyon Research facility was renamed Kelly Johnson
Research and Development Center, Lockheed-California Company, in his honor for
50 years of service to Lockheed.

Accomplishments:

Click on Picture to enlarge

Johnson has
played a leading role in the design of 40 world renowned aircraft. Of these more
than half were of his original design. Among them the F-80, America's first
production jet; the double-sonic F-104 Starfighter; the high altitude U-2 and
the spectacular 2,000 MPH YF-12A and the SR-71.

He contributed to
the design of the first plane with power controls, the F-90 Interceptor.

Click on Picture to enlarge

Kelly designed
single-handedly the Lockheed Hudson Bomber at the age of 29. Traveling to
England with Courtland Gross, A Lockheed director, the British nixed the
original design. Johnson recalls: "They told us the bombs had to go under the
floor, that they needed forward shooting guns and dozens of other things." "So,
I redesigned the airplane in my hotel room in a couple of days according to
British specifications." Johnson's design landed Lockheed an order for 200
planes, the largest order that had ever been placed in the U.S. during
peacetime. In all, Lockheed built 3,500 Hudson's for the U.K. by the end of
World War II.

XP-80 On January 8, 1944, the late Milo Burcham about to climb into the cockpit of
the XP-80, Lockheed's first jet, turned to project chief Kelly Johnson for
instructions. "Find out if she's a lady or a witch." said Johnson. She was a
lady, appropriately nicknamed Lulu-Belle. She was built in just 143 days after
Air Corps go-ahead. Principal designers and managers of Lulu-Belle autographed
this photo of the XP-80. Kelly Johnson's autograph is center bottom.

"I knew I wanted
to design airplanes when I was 12 years old" says Johnson. "I read every Tom
Swift novel I could get my hands on. I read "Tom Swift and his Airplane"; "Tom
Swift and his Electric Car" ; "Tom Swift and his Submarine" and I said that's
for me." A native of Michigan, Johnson was born in the remote mining town of
Ishpeming on November 27, 1910 to immigrant Swedish parents. Kelly was born
seven years after the Wright Brothers made their first successful flight. After
making his decision at the age of 12 to design aircraft, he went ahead to design
his first airplane. Kelly called his first design "The Merlin 1, Battle Plane".
Several weeks later he saw his first airplane; a World War I Jenny. His
decision was confirmed. He later moved to Flint where his father had a
construction business. Kelly graduated from Flint High School, working summers
with his father and in the motor test section of the Buick Motor Car Company. By
graduation he had saved up $300. He tried to give it to an Instructor at the
Flint Airport in exchange for flying lessons, but the Instructor shook his head
and probably changed the entire course of Kelly's life. "I've always had the
greatest respect for that man," Kelly said later. "He needed that money more
than anything else in the world. But instead of taking it, he said, "Look
kid...save that money and go to school." Kelly did. He graduated from Flint
Junior College and completed his education at the University of Michigan, where
he received His Bachelor of Science Degree in 1932. Kelly Johnson worked his way
through school by picking up scholarships, washing dishes and helping a
professor; Edward Stalker, as a Teaching Assistant. He went on to received his
Master of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1933. During this period
he picked up small teaching fellowships and augmenting his income by renting the
University's wind tunnel to run tests as a consultant on models of Indianapolis
racing cars, trains and aircraft. "I made more more money that year than any of
the first 10 years I worked for Lockheed." Kelly grins.

Honors:

The Collier Trophy

The Collier Trophy

Click on Picture to enlarge

Many
honors have come to him for his unique contributions to aerospace development
through the years and to the defense of the United States and the Free World.
Among these, Mr. Johnson has won the Collier Trophy twice. In 1958 to:
The United States Air Force and Industry Team Responsible for the F-104
Interceptor; Clarence L. Johnson of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation for the design
of the airframe. In 1963 to: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson For designing and
directing the development of the USAF A-11 Mach 3 aircraft.

The Collier Trophy

Nomination Period:
November 1 - January 31

Established 1911, the Robert J.
Collier Trophy was first granted in 1929 as a national award honoring those
who had made significant achievements in the advancement of aviation.
Collier, publisher, noted sportsman-pilot, and president of the Aero Club of
America, commissioned the 525-pound trophy's design to Ernest W Keyser of
Baltimore MD, and it was originally named the Aero Club of America Trophy.
It wasn't until that organization was dissolved in 1922 and the National
Aeronautic Association formed that Collier was honored in title. The name
became official in 1944, and the award presented once each year by the
President of the USA, with the trophy on permanent display at NASM.

On
September 14, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson presented to Clarence L. Johnson
the Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor the President can bestow.
"Kelly Johnson and the products of his famous Skunk Works epitomize the highest
and finest goal of our society, the goal of excellence. His record of design
achievement in aviation is both incomparable and virtually incredible. Any one
of his many airplane designs would have honored any individual's career."
President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The citation
to accompany the Medal of Freedom

"Aeronautical
engineer, his genius for conceiving unique airframes and his technical management skills contribute
mightily to the Nation's security by creating aircraft of daring design with
unmatched rapidity and effectiveness."

The National Medal of Science

The National Medal of Science

The
National Medal of Science was awarded to Kelly Johnson in 1966 by President
Lyndon B. Johnson. Given to individuals "deserving of special recognition by
reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical,
biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences".

The National Security Medal

Click on Picture to enlarge

President Regan with "Kelly" & Mrs. Johnson

On October
06,1983, President Ronald Reagan presented Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson The
National Security Medal. It was the first time an aeronautical engineer had been
awarded the medal. In White House ceremonies the medal was presented for
"Exceptional meritorious service performed in a position of high responsibility
and have made an outstanding contribution to the National Security of the
Nation". (Photo insert shows Kelly's wife Nancy). During an informal moment,
Kelly mentioned to the President that they were California neighbors; both
having ranches In Santa Barbara County. "But, there's a difference in the two
ranches", Reagan smiled. "Yours has heat". The Reagan ranch house depended on
wood burning fireplaces for warmth.

The Aviation Hall of Fame

Dayton,
Ohio enshrined Johnson in 1974.

He created
innovative technical concepts
that significantly
advanced aircraft design, performance, and reliability.

He helped design
Lockheed P-38, T-33, U-2, and SR-71 aircraft.

He helped achieve
supersonic flight and spaceflight.

The Wright Brothers
Trophy

In 1975, Kelly
won the Wright Brothers Trophy. It is awarded annually by the National
Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A. to a living American in recognition of
significant service of enduring value to aviation in the U.S. This original
trophy was entrusted to the Smithsonian Institution by the National Aeronautic
Association of the U.S.A., which each year presents a replica to the recipient
on the anniversary of the historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

WRIGHT BROTHERS
MEMORIAL TROPHY

The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy was
established in 1948 following the death of Orville Wright. It is awarded
annually by the National Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A. to a living
American in recognition of significant service of enduring value to aviation
in the U.S. This original trophy was entrusted to the Smithsonian Institution
by the National Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A., which each year presents
a replica to the recipient on the anniversary of the historic first flight at
Kitty Hawk, N.C.

The Sylvanus Albert Reed Award

Mr. Johnson has
also received two Sylvanus Albert Reed Awards, one in 1956 and again in
1966. The Reed Aeronautics Award is the highest award an individual can
receive for achievements in the field of aeronautical science and engineering.
The award is named after Dr. Sylvanus A. Reed, the aeronautical engineer,
designer, and founding member of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.

The Karman Awar

He won the Von
Karman Award (twice). One in 1963 and again in 1964.

The Daniel Guggenheim
Award

At the age of 71,
Kelly Johnson was the 1981 recipient of the Daniel Guggenheim Award for
"His brilliant design of a wide range of pace-setting, commercial, combat and
reconnaissance aircraft, and for his innovative management techniques which
developed these aircraft in record time at minimum cost". The first winner of
the Guggenheim Medal, "Honoring persons who make notable achievements in the
advancement of aeronautics", was Orville Wright in 1929.

The Howard R. Hughes
Memorial Award

Awarded the 5th
Annual Howard R. Hughes Memorial Award by the Aero Club of Southern
California in 1983.

Click on Picture to enlarge

Kelly with the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and with a mockup of the Model 10
Electra

Kelly Johnson was
first married to Althea Louise Young in 1937. Althea passed away in December
1969. His second marriage was to the former Maryellen Elberta Meade of New York
state in May 1971. Maryellen passed away on October 13, 1980. She was only 38
years old. They had a home in Encino, California and a ranch near Santa Barbara,
California. Mr. Johnson later married the former Nancy Powers Horrigan in
November, 1980. They had resided in Encino, California. Johnson had triple heart
bypass surgery for a cardiac problem.

Quotes:

About How
Clarence L. became "Kelly":

Kelly Recalls:
While attending grade school, I was chided by some classmates for my name;
Clarence. The other boys started calling me "Clara". One morning while waiting
in line to get into a classroom, one boy named Cecil started with the normal
routine of calling me "Clara". I then tripped the boy so hard it broke his leg.
The boys then decided that I wasn't a "Clara" and looking for a new nickname
started calling me "Kelly". The nickname came from the popular song at the
time.. "Kelly With the Green Neck Tie". From that time forward it would always be
"Kelly Johnson".

About Howard
Hughes, Kelly recalls:

"I remember
working with Howard Hughes in 1957, when he was ordering Constellations for TWA
airlines. He was a night owl and he demanded we meet in the ballroom of the
Beverly Hills Hotel at 11 PM. He had six of his goons stationed around the
ballroom to make sure no one listened. We'd work through the night making little
changes here and there. It nearly destroyed my health because I was also working
during the day on the U-2 and the F-104."

About U.S.
Defense Department's Cancellation of the F-12B
The Russian Backfire
Bomber had just come out and Kelly comments: "Of course we do need such a plane
(F-12B Fighter Interceptor similar to the SR-71) now...and we don't have it. It
just shows that you can be right and still lose the ball game."

About Building
the SR-71:

Click on Picture to enlarge

"It
was no easy task. Everything about the SR-71 had to be invented from
scratch...the design, the technology, even the materials. I offered a $50 reward
to anyone who could come up with an easy answer. I still have the $50." "During
the program we were able to reduce the cost of a foot of a particular type of
Titanium extrusion from $119 to $11." He said proudly. "And we dropped the cost
of a particular Titanium bolt from $15 to .25 cents. In the words of Kelly
Johnson, "It makes no sense to just take this one or two steps ahead, because
we'd be buying only a couple of years before the Russians would be able to nail
us again. No, I want us to come up with an airplane that can rule the skies for
a decade or more." He wanted to design an airplane that used conventional
engines and fuel, but still be able to outrace any missile.

About
Designing Aircraft:

"If I didn't get the
Hell scared out of me once a year, I would not have the proper balance to design
future aircraft".

About the
J-58 Engine:

Shortly after development commenced, a wager was opened between Kelly
Johnson and Bill Brown, over which of the two companies would succeed in
producing the best fuel-injection system for the aircraft. It was settled
that the loser would have to carry the costs for use of the wind-tunnel,
which Brown estimated would be about $12,000. Pratt & Whitney won and true
to his promise, Kelly Johnson sent a check of sufficient value. The event
was used to play a prank. Bill Brown acquired a complete naval sailor's
uniform, with cap and blue jacket, and thus attired had himself photographed
in front of the 12.5 meters long private yacht of Bill Gordon. He sent the
photograph to Johnson with the comment "thanks for the check". The
photograph hung for many years afterwards on the wall of Lockheed's staff
reunion room.

"Fighters will get
rid of the men and become drones with the ability to do everything a
man-operated plane can do."

The Skunk
Works :

During World War II,
Johnson set up the Skunk Works after receiving approval from the U.S. Air Corps
to build a jet fighter (the F-80 Shooting Star). Johnson recalls, "At the time,
space was scarce because Lockheed was busy building 17 P-38's a day; 4 B-17's; 6
versions of the Hudson and the Lodestar, for a total of about 28 planes a day."
So Johnson had a new space created for him in the old China Factory plant at B-1
next to a wind tunnel using Wright engine packing boxes for walls and a circus
tent for a roof. Under these conditions, he laid out a design for a new fighter
for an Air Corps competition. It won. It became the P-80.

Security was so
tight on the project, people around Lockheed began to wonder what Johnson was
doing in his makeshift headquarters. One day, someone suggested he was stirring
up some sort of brew....evoking images of the Kickapoo Joy Juice made by Al
Capp's comic strip characters in Dogpatch's "Skonk Works". The Name "Skunk
Works" stuck. And so did the Skunk Works reputation for building advanced
aircraft under super-secret conditions. Secrecy was maintained, according to
Kelly, because he doled out only portions of the projects to his staff and kept
the over-all plans to himself. Under these conditions, Kelly later on built the
first U-2 in a mere eight months.

Quotes about
Kelly from others:

Ben Rich:

Kelly
disliked long written reports, so he limited any report addressed to him to a
length no longer than 20 pages. Kelly said, "I don't have time to read long
reports of anything". He also limited meetings to 15 people or less.

Soviet Mig
Pilot Belinko Recalls:

Chasing the SR-71
along the Siberian Coast in a Mig-25, I could not match it's speed. One flight
in the Mig-25 and we had to change our engines. I could not believe that such
technologies existed.

Carl Kotchian:

In a memo dated
November 1974, announcing Kelly's imminent retirement, Lockheed Corporate
President Carl Kotchian summarized Mr. Johnson's career as follows:
Carl described
Kelly's early accomplishments; the P-38 Lightening; the Hudson Bomber and the
XP-80 Shooting Star. He went on to say:

"But these are
only crumbs from the cake of Kelly's genius. He has performed Herculean tasks
many, many times since...always living up to his motto: "Be quick, be quiet, and
be on time". It is Kelly as a person I think we will miss most...His absolute
honesty, his dedicated patriotism( he may be the most honored engineer in
history, but many of the things he has done for his country will never be told),
and his unswerving support for people who worked for him." "It is not probable
that we will see Kelly's like again," Kotchian concluded. "We can all be
grateful that he picked Lockheed as the place to do his work and make his
contribution to aviation."

Kelly
Johnson Dies;

Johnson died on December 21,
1990 at St Joseph Medical Center after an illness of many years. Kelly is buried
at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California.